84673 - Laboratory: Geopolitics, Finance for International Cooperation and Instruments

Learning outcomes

Obiettivi formativi: the student will acquire the project design and capacity building skills in accordance with the sustainable development approach and the shared goals of the local and regional cooperation countries and public institutions. The student will debate the future scenarios of cooperation and the different paradigms of alternative development of basic need, of gender and sustainability.

Course contents

The course consists of a theoretical component designed to provide students with the fundamental knowledge needed to understand the finance–development cooperation–political and economic geography–geopolitics nexus. The main topics include:

• Introduction to Political Geography and its core concepts (borders and boundaries; Jones' Model).
• Geopolitics and analytical frameworks for understanding contemporary international dynamics.
• The relationship between geopolitics and International Development Cooperation, with particular reference to Italian Law No. 125/2014.
• Geofinance and the financial system (Diamond Model).
• The international financial architecture and international financial institutions involved in development cooperation.
• Basic concepts of public finance and Official Development Assistance (ODA).
• Basic financial instruments for international development cooperation (grants, loans, and technical assistance).
• Advanced financial instruments for international development cooperation (trust funds, microfinance, blended finance, sustainable finance/impact finance, crowdfunding, etc.).

The laboratory component, carried out through group work, is designed to strengthen students' knowledge and practical skills in designing and managing processes, programmes, and projects across different sectors of international development cooperation. It covers topics such as national policy documents, strategic planning, monitoring, project proposal development, indicators and evaluation, budgeting and reporting, and the organisation of international missions. Both traditional development cooperation approaches (ODA) and integrated post-aid approaches are examined.

Finally, students will develop the knowledge and analytical skills required to discuss and critically assess contemporary scenarios in international development cooperation.

 

Readings/Bibliography

The course is based primarily on the learning materials available on the Virtuale platform.

The following bibliography is intended to support the theoretical component of the course, the preparation of the final report, and further independent study.

Core readings

• GRANDI S. (2017), Political Geography, Geopolitics, Finance and Development: A First Approach (course notes available on Virtuale).
• SELLAR C., GRANDI S., JAFRI J. (eds.), Geofinance between Political and Financial Geographies. A Focus on the Semi-Periphery of the Global Financial System, Edward Elgar Publishing, UK (Introduction, Chapters 2, 3, and 12).
• GRANDI S., PARENTI F. M. (2019), "Does Geography Matter in Finance? Frontiers, Polarizations, Alternatives and Geopolitical Elements for Financial Analysis." In Boubaker S., Nguyen D. K. (eds.), Handbook of Global Financial Markets: Transformations, Dependence, and Risk Spillovers, World Scientific Publishing, pp. 767–788.
• GRANDI S. (2020), "Micro and Small Business Clusters and Local Development Policies: Insights from India–Italy Cooperation Projects." In Lund-Thomsen P., Hansen M. W., Lindgreen A. (eds.), Business and Development Studies – Issues and Perspectives. Routledge, London and New York.

Further reading (optional)

• Agnew J., Muscarà L. (2012), Making Political Geography (Second Edition), Rowman and Littlefield, Maryland, USA.
• Parenti F. M., Rosati U. (eds.) (2016), Geofinance and Geopolitics, EGEA, Milan.
• Stiglitz J. E. (2003), Ethics, Market and Government Failure, and Globalization, in The Governance of Globalization: Proceedings of the Ninth Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Acta 9, Edmund Malinvaud and Louis Sabourin (eds.), Casina Pio IV, 2–6 May 2003.

Institutional guidelines (available online)

• EuropeAid Cooperation Office (2004), Aid Delivery Methods: Project Cycle Management Guidelines, European Commission, Brussels.

Additional readings on development cooperation

(particularly recommended for SPOSI and EPOS students, as well as other interested students)

• Potter R., Binns T., Elliott J. A., Nel E., Smith D. W. (2018), Geographies of Development: An Introduction to Development Studies. Routledge, London.
• Grandi S. (2013), Sviluppo, Geografia e Cooperazione Internazionale. La Mandragora, Imola.
• Magnani E., Grandi S. (2025), "Il difficile rapporto tra clima e sviluppo. Evoluzioni della cooperazione internazionale in una prospettiva net-zero." Geotema, Vol. 77, pp. 18–30.
• Cartomà C., Conti S., Giaccaria P., Rossi U., Salone C. (2022), Geografia economica e politica. Pearson, Milano–Torino.

Teaching methods

The course is structured into two main components:

(1) Theoretical component

A series of lectures covering the fundamental concepts outlined above (Topics 1–5), with short group discussions and collaborative exercises.

(2) Applied component: Simulation Project Work

The applied component is organised as a simulation-based project, creating a collaborative learning environment in which students acquire the fundamental competencies needed to design, develop, and manage processes, programmes, and projects in different fields of international development cooperation. Learning is based on simulation cases and project-based group work.

The laboratory particularly aims to develop the following transferable skills:

• Team building
• Team management
• Leadership
• Communication skills
• Time management
• Problem solving under conditions of uncertainty

Assessment methods

For attending students:

• Group presentation of the simulation project work.
• Final report.

For non-attending students:

• An oral examination, including a brief written exercise consisting of the analysis of a call for proposals and the completion of a project logical framework (logframe).

In specific cases (e.g. international exchange students, Erasmus students, or participants in similar mobility programmes), an alternative assessment format may be agreed upon in advance with the course instructor.

Teaching tools

Virtuale is containing all main laerning material

Office hours

See the website of Silvia Grandi